The Green Bay Packers have won three of their last four games in the 2023 season, including an impressive performance against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day at Ford Field. Dreams of the postseason grow closer with each passing week, and Green Bay has their sights set on a six or seven seed if they can maintain their current pace.
The game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, however, presents a daunting challenge. Patrick Mahomes and his arsenal of targets are already difficult to deal with, but it’s the defense that will cause the most problems. When Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo sends red jerseys through gaps in packs, a young Jordan Love must be on his game.
Green Bay Packers receivers must start firing right away.
The Packers’ best solution heading into their game against the Chiefs is for their star receiver core to get open as soon as possible. Jordan Love can’t keep the ball indefinitely when Kansas City blitzes more than most teams. On occasion, he’ll be subjected to stunts from the defensive front, smoke and mirrors tactics from the linebackers, and sneaky blindsides from backside corners.
Fortunately for Love, the Packers have excellent perimeter route runners who can sprint into gaps in the defense in the blink of an eye. Jayden Reed’s impressive speed has already established him as a key component of this offense, and Green Bay will rely on him to find the soft spots between the tight secondary and pursuing players in the box.
Romeo Doubs is an excellent outlet for longer passes. Love can dump it out over the top if he can make a move to fly past the corners in man coverage. The Packers have the talent to get around secondary defenders; they must create opportunities in the short game to set the tempo, force the Chiefs to adapt, and stay two-dimensional to allow their run game to take control.
The Chiefs specialize in collapsing the pocket in a matter of seconds, giving young quarterbacks nightmares as they try to figure out what a veteran defensive coordinator is throwing at them. To avoid a disaster in the backfield, Jordan Love will need to balance his pocket presence while looking downfield for an open man.
Kansas City will come out hard and fast, as their respect for Jordan Love remains high. Green Bay must be prepared to acquire pass rushers from all sides if it is to compete with Mahomes’ explosive offense.
